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Guest Post and Giveaway with Martin Sharlow

Posted by
Krystal Larson
at
11:04 PM
Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Hello everyone, I want to thank you for allowing me to be here today.

As some of you might already know, my name is Martin Sharlow. I write paranormal romance, with a little bit of mystery and fantasy mixed in. Personally, I think fantasy is necessary to paranormal romance. Most would consider it urban fantasy, rather than actual fantasy but I don't see much difference except in the timeline. Yes, most paranormal romance is in the modern era or near it. But still fantasy is fantasy. Werewolves, fairies, vampires, and other assorted creatures including magic seems very fantasy related to me.

So in my paranormal romance books, I like to mix that fantasy in there as well. It usually plays a big part in the background. As an example, one of the main antagonists in the Shades series is an unknown plant creature that appears as a human being. Its origin is unknown to the characters, though its base of operations is located throughout the series. This creature is basically based off of nature magic, which may or may not be controlled by an external force or just nature itself. That's something you have to read to find out for yourself.

Without that portion of fantasy in the series, there would be very little beyond the relationship of Melissa and Michael. The creature brings another angle to the story. It helps motivate the characters, as well as build the relationship. Not only with each other, but the various other characters throughout the book. Admittedly the magic isn't like Lord of the Rings or something. It's more in the background generating the creature without seeing it happen, but it is the explanation for the existence of the creature. This is a good example of me incorporating fantasy.

You have to admit that vampires are either in the horror bracket or the fantasy bracket. I know it's paranormal romance, but unless the vampire is a monster, then they become something more like a hero. Well, at least from my point of view, I like to treat it as a fantasy. It helps me in my creative stage as well as the actual writing stage. So when you read my books, expect a little magic. I want to thank you for having me here again, I appreciate being here and meeting your readers. Thanks for having me.